Is Technology Addiction Real?
Technology addiction is a term that is often used without much thought, but this is a real condition, and are we really becoming consumed by our online presence?
Technology addiction refers to any form of negative behaviour across all technology platforms, whether that’s your phone, game console, or social media. Whether this behaviour is truly addictive remains medically debated, but it’s confirmed that it’s doing nothing for our mental health or social development. Even if this behaviour is not classified as an addiction, many struggle to control their online habits.
It’s difficult enough for adults to find themselves looking to technology as the answer for relaxation or entertainment, but children are the generation we should be most concerned about. Growing up in this technology-consumed environment is putting them at risk of delaying their social and mental development. Rather than engrossing themselves in social activities that are needed for development, they are staying inside playing video games or speaking to their friends over text. This sort of behaviour during the influential stages in their life can have a massive impact on them in the future, especially with social interaction and communication. And as you could probably guess, a lack of communication or persistent isolation increases the risk of developing mental health issues.
Video game addiction has been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a classified disease. While this form of addiction may not fully meet clinical criteria for other addictions, it is a severe behaviour that needs to be recognised by parents and children. However, if this is an addiction, what is to say that technology addiction won’t become a certified disease in the future? With the accelerated use of social media, technology is becoming increasingly toxic. Video game addiction occurs when online gaming interferes with your life, and you find yourself unable to stop even though you can see its damaging result. There is significant controversy over this diagnosis. Is this because we are reluctant to acknowledge the potential harm of technology, or are we simply too captivated by it?
Social media tends to be the main culprit for excessively high screen times for teens. However, not only is encouraging children to spend more time on their phones, but it’s also introducing them to a toxic environment, which if not used carefully, has some very severe risks on their mental health. The perfect lifestyle and appearance that influencers and surrounding peers post is far from reality. We post online, projecting all the great parts, but never the difficult or hard times. By smiling for the camera, only you know the internal pain and stress you are experiencing. This unhealthy addiction with posting and pretending life is perfect is making teens feel inadequate and enhances strong negative emotions about themselves and their appearance. But rather than putting the phone away, we continue to scroll, intensifying these emotions which can build up and lead to mental health issues. Do they even realise the harm it is causing? Teens have been brought up in a world with social media and technology at their fingertips and don’t understand life without it. So why would they presume that social media is causing them pain or why would they presume that sitting on their phones isn’t giving them the breath of fresh air they need?
Adding fuel to the fire, 2020 hasn’t been the best year for many of us, some would probably say the worst. Not only are there millions of people suffering from a deadly virus, but with limited to no access to social environments, many adults and teens are swirling into a constant state of depression. Mental health is at an all-time low and now the only source of entertainment or communication we have is via technology. As our screen time hours rise, we struggle to find any other sources of entertainment so instead, we’re watching movies and playing games online too, even if we’ve been working all day and staring at a screen. In-person meetings now take place on Zoom, and children's lessons are conducted via Microsoft Teams. Adjusting to this new lifestyle has been challenging.
This state of silence is accelerating the development of tech addictions and allowing kids to spend all day on their game console or their phone.